Discus champion stripped of gold

Thrown out: Robert Fazekas is stripped of his gold medal

By Mihir Bose

12:01AM BST 25 Aug 2004

Just half an hour before the medal ceremony for the men's discus, the International Olympic Committee stripped Robert Fazekas, the Hungarian who on Monday threw an Olympic record of 70.93 metres, of his gold medal.

The 29-year-old European champion and World Championship silver medallist had refused to give enough urine for a doping test, a mandatory post-competition requirement for those who win medals. He gave only 25 millilitres when rules require he should give 75ml.

Deszo Vad, a spokesman for the Hungarian team, said Fazekas had appeared for the drug test but could not provide enough urine for the sample.

The revelation came just a day after the women's shot put winner, Irina Korzhanenko, of Russia, had her gold taken away and was thrown out of the Games after testing positive for the banned steroid stanozolol.

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It is the first time in Olympic history that two track and field champions have been stripped of their gold medals for breaking doping rules.

The title now goes to Lithuania's Virgilijus Alekna, who finished second with 69.89m. Another Hungarian, Zoltan Kovago, gets bumped from bronze to silver. Fourth-placed Aleksander Tammert of Estonia moves to third.

The IOC decided to also throw out high-jumper Aleksey Lesnichyi, of Belarus, who tested positive for the steroid clenbuterol.

The number of test failures at the Games now stands at 16. The list has left Athens in danger of being remembered as the dirtiest Olympics in history.

With IOC president Jacques Rogge declaring zero tolerance on drug cheats, the 2004 Games have seen a sharp increase in anti-doping controls and sophisticated testing procedures.

The worst-hit sport has been weightlifting, with 10 competitors thrown out. International Weightlifting Federation chief Tamas Ajan warned that drug cheats and their federations would pay with long bans. "The weightlifters who had positive tests here cannot participate in the next Olympic Games and we will suspend the federations, and nobody can stop me. For Beijing I will demand even tougher controls."

His words came amid renewed concern as to whether weightlifting would continue as an Olympic sport.